Maximillion: A Goofy, College Slice Of Life
by SUPERdruyd
Summary: Max Goof, now 19, is just starting his Sophomore year at Ohio State University, a good while away from Spoonerville, where his dad, Goofy, and stepmom Sylvia, reside. After beating out the Gamma Mu Mu's and winning the College X-Games in their Freshman year, Team 99, which includes Max and his friends P.J. and Bobby, return to State; making new friends and enemies along the way.
1. 1 - A Talk Over Pancakes

**(A/N [4/18/19]: And here it is! The first chapter. I can't tell whether this one is too short or too long, or short or long, or... whatever it is, enjoy! I've decided that Chapters will be released as they are made, as I won't have to format a whole bunch at once. This was all written in a separate program, so the indentation isn't showing. The formatting is also a bit off. I think I'm gonna use a different editor. They should really add an indent key in the Wattpad online writer thing, too. Ugh. Anyways, time to sleep. It's about 2AM here. Once again, enjoy.)**

**(A/N [4/19/19]: Hey all. Next day; I realized that the formatting was really bugging me, especially the lack of space in-between dialogue, so I fixed it for your reading convenience. I'll be writing Chapter 2 soon. It's gonna be a long one. And, who knows; there might be a reunion with someone Max once knew years ago. Anyways, if this is your first time reading, enjoy!)**

"Max?"

"Max, if you don't get up, breakfast is gonna get cold. It's pancakes today." she giggled.

Max had just barely heard her the second time, as he opened his eyes to a still dark room. It wouldn't be dark for long, however, as Sylvia marched to Max's window to yank the curtains wide open.

The sun shone so bright, he couldn't see a thing. He covered his eyes with his hands, which were gloveless. But, I mean, who sleeps with gloves?

Sylvia walked over to Max, who had made an effort to cover his eyes with his bedsheets, and planted a kiss on his forehead. Max let out a small grunt. "Come down, quick, or your father will eat every pancake he made, yours and mine included." she said. She ruffled his hair and walked out of his bedroom.

Max turned to lay on his back, and looked up at the ceiling, opting to take in his surroundings with his sense of hearing, rather than his sense of eyesight, which he had felt he lost when Sylvia had pulled open the curtains a few hours too soon. He could hear pans clanking around downstairs, and remnants of conversation between his dad, Goofy, and Sylvia. Of course, he couldn't hear anything in particular. He was a floor up. Go figure.

Of course, Max didn't have all day. It was probably best to take the day head on, rather than lay around all morning. After all, this was his last day with his dad and stepmom, before he left for Ohio State for his second year. I mean, hell, he had fun last time, even with the Gamma's, and not to mention, his own dad, up his butt every day. But, why he shouldn't have fun this year? His dad would be gone, and his confidence had grown so much since he had won the College X-Games a few months prior, he had no time to worry about losing to the Gamma's again. At least, not now. Not when he had food waiting for him at the table.

He pushed his covers aside and groaned as he sat up, at the foot of the bed. He yanked his gloves on, and stood up. He trudged to his dresser, where he whisked on a red shirt, and a pair of jeans. A yawn escaped his mouth as he threw his underwear into the hamper just across the hall.

He walked from his bedroom to the bathroom, where Max brushed his teeth and combed his hair, before walking to the staircase, leading downstairs

XX

"You think he'll be okay there, all by himself?" Goofy asked from across the table.

"Yes, honey, he'll be fine. He's 19 now! A grown man. Plus, he has his friends! He'll be okay, I promise." Sylvia responded, getting to work on her pancake stack.

She had noticed Goofy frown a bit more, which she reacted to with a quick smile. She immediately noticed he wasn't convinced. "Well, you never know, Syl-"

"He'll be fine!" She giggled. "I promise you. He knows where he is! He attended Ohio State last year, remember? As a Freshman? I'm sure he'll even get to know the place a little bit better, after exploring the place a bit more. He doesn't need you there. He's okay."

"Well...fine." Goofy said back, defeated. He'd always saw himself as a protective father, but never thought the "protective" part harmless. And of course, it wasn't at all; but, when, you get to be Max's age, you'd find it best just to lay off, and let him go his own way. But, the word "stop" wasn't entirely in Goofy's vocabulary.

They both continued to eat silently, forks clanging against their plates, before they noticed Max make his way to the glass cupboard. He flipped open the cupboard door and fished around for a cup, before pouring himself a glass of milk.

"Morning, Maxie!" Goofy said heartily. A wide smile was on his face at that moment. Nothing made him light up more than the presence of his son.

"Good morning, dad," Max replied, still sounding rather tired. "Sleep well?"

"Of course! Say, you sound a bit tired. Are you okay?" Goofy asked, turning around to face him.

"I'm okay. Just got to bed a little bit later than expected, that's all." Max replied, leaning forward now. He smelled pancakes, which were laid out for him in a neat stack. If there was one thing his dad knew how to cook well, it was pancakes. They were topped with a clean slat of butter, along with a few blueberries, which were placed on top of the butter, which had just about melted. Syrup was drizzled daintily over everything. "Oooh, pancakes!" Max said excitedly. It had been a while since he was treated to such a meal. Usually it was just cereal or a quick granola bar. Surprisingly, Goofy got tired of making breakfast sometimes, if you can even believe that he gets tired of anything.

"Well, that's good to hear, at least. Don't want my boy going through some sort of... depression." Goofy said quietly, eating up his food quickly. Max walked to the table, pulled the chair out, and sat down. He set his glass of milk next to his plate, and began to chow down.

He looked over to Sylvia, and asked with a smile, "So, Sylvia, how did you sleep?"

"Just wonderfully, Max!" she replied quickly. Max could tell she was a bit giddy today, but couldn't discern why. "I'm running on about... eleven hours!"

"Wow, if I could only find time to get any sort of sleep. I'd been up until something like 12 last night, packing and getting ready." Max said, cutting into his pancakes. Goofy looked concerned.

"12? In the morning? Well, that isn't good..." Goofy said, finishing up his plate. He got up and placed his plate in the sink, as Max continued to talk to Sylvia. "Really? Young man, you really should be getting more sleep!" Sylvia smiled. "Especially when you're in college! You're really gonna need it!"

"Yeah, no kidding. We have to go up against the Gamma's again this year. We won last time, but I feel like we just got lucky. We're really gonna have to push to win this year." Max replied, quickly eating through his stack. As Goofy washed his dish, he asked, "So, son, what kind of degree are you goin' for?"

"Bathelorths." Max said, his mouth full.

"What was that?"

Max swallowed his food. "Bachelor's." He took a quick drink of milk right after.

"Four years, huh?" Sylvia has said, laughing like Max was in for a ride. Which, I suppose, he was. "It'll be graduation day before you know it! What's your major?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'm just focused on winning that competition, you know?"

As Goofy set his plate on the drying rack, he had stuck onto what Sylvia had said. Graduation Day... Goofy wanted it to be forever away. He didn't want Max to grow up so fast, but, alas, it was inevitable. In the end, he had no control over time. He sighed heavily, and turned to Max with a smile on his face. "Bachelor's, huh? Well, I'm proud of ya'... You-... you really have grown up...-" Goofy choked, tears welling in his eyes. Before Goofy had time to react, he had felt Max hug him tight.

"I know. I know you're proud, dad." Max replied, patting Goofy's back, his eyes now watering. It hurt him to see his dad upset. "But don't worry about me, okay? I'll be fine. I'll always be your son, you know that." Max laughed, trying to cheer his dad up. Goofy replied with a slight "hyuck". Sylvia couldn't help but smile.

XXX

Just 20 minutes later, Max was getting ready to head off for P.J.'s, whose house was adjacent to the Goof's.

"Don't forget to be back before dinner, Max!" Sylvia had called from the family room. She decided today was the right day to give the place a little dusting. Goofy was lounging in a recliner, reading a newspaper.

"Bye, Maxie!" Goofy yelled. Max smiled. After last year, he really started to appreciate how much his dad loved him. Sure, at times he could be embarassing, but he had good intentions. However, aside from that, Max was 100% ready to kick back and relax with his buddies, and enjoy college, all on his own. At least for a little while, before they have to kick it in high gear when the College X-Games got close.

"I will! Bye Dad, Sylvia! Love you both, See you at dinner!" Max yelled, pulling open the door.

"We love you too!" Goofy yelled from his reclined state, smiling wide. He flipped over the newspaper as he heard the front door open and close.

"Kids..." Sylvia smiled, laughing to herself. "Right, honey?"

"Yeah..." Goofy replied, smiling wide. "Kids."


	2. 2 - An Unexpected Appearance

**(A/N [4/19/19]: Chapter 2! After 4 or so hours. 2000 words. I'm not sure if that count is impressive or not, but enjoy! I was planning on making it a bit longer, but realized a cold close was more "effective", if you get what I mean. Enjoy!)**

Max walked down the steps to the pathway that lead to the sidewalk. He already had the day planned out- Himself, Bobby and P.J. would catch up quickly before catching lunch with a few other friends, Stacey and Mocha, that beret girl from the Bean Scene.

Max was beyond excited. Not only because he hadn't talked to Bobby and P.J. in forever (The Goof's had a bit of a road trip to see some relatives for the summer), but also because he could ask Stacey how Roxanne was doing over in New York, where she was studying botany in the University of Buffalo. As she was Roxanne's classmate, she had relayed to Max and the others that Roxanne couldn't drive or fly the distance. She had informed Stacey that she was busy with work, and such. So, Max, for now, decided that a quick update was the next best thing, despite the fact that his and Roxanne's relationship was virtually over.

They had both been together through every year of High School, and their relationship showed no signs of slowing down. But, as unlucky as Max was, it had grinded to a halt. Not because she was in love with him anymore, no. She just didn't think it would work over a long-distance, and Max, no matter how sad he got, understood. He had no cell phone yet, and he felt that he could talk to her for hours, which would surely send the landline bill through the roof. And, even though he wanted to talk to her dearly, he didn't want to be the one to pay for the bill.

So, through the summer after his Senior year in High School and his Freshman year in college, he very often thought about Roxanne, even at moments where there would be nothing to remind him of her. He just... missed her. Missed her presence. She told him that they could, of course, still be friends, but... he wanted to be _with_ her, no matter the distance.

It couldn't be. But, at least he had Stacey to rely on for information.

He made his way across the yard to P.J.'s. He smiled, excited for whatever Stacey would tell him. As he walked the steps to his door, and gave it a few knocks.

Max could feel footsteps approaching from inside, before the door swung open.

"Ahh, Max!"

It was Pete, P.J.'s dad. Max had met him countless times before. He greeted Max with a tight hug.

"Yeah-!... Nice to see you, but, please- let go-" Max laughed. Before he could finish speaking, Pete let go.

"How was Freshman year, huh?" Pete asked with a wide grin, hands on his waist. In spite of Max's rapid growth, reaching up to 6'1" now, Pete seemed so much taller, if only by a few inches.

Max looked up. "It was good! You know, we won the College X-Games!"

"I've heard! Ol' P.J. wouldn't stop goin' on about it over the summer! I'm proud of you all, even Bobby!" Pete exclaimed.

"Thanks, Mr. Pete!" Max replied, smiling wide now. "I was just wondering if I could take Peej out of your hands for the day, get a bite of food?"

"Oh, sure! Let me go get him." Pete said, before turning around.

He raised his hand to his mouth, and yelled, "P.J.! YOUR FRIEND MAX IS HERE!"

As Pete moved aside a bit, Max could peer inside. The same house he had remembered.

Max soon heard P.J. barreling down the stairs. running as fast as he could to the front door. The sheer speed at which P.J. had gotten to the door. Max laughed, "You know Peej, I'm in no rush, you could have just walked."

"I know!" P.J. responded, smiling. "I just don't want to be late. Stacey is strict about that."

Max smiled. "Good to have you anyways." He patted P.J. on the shoulder. He stepped aside so P.J. could get through the door. "Anyways, Mr. Pete, we'll have him home later. Bye!"

"Always good to see ya'. I'll see you later, Max, and you too, son." Pete said, smiling at P.J. He furrowed his brows. "Don't forget about dinner, P.J.!"

"No worries, dad! See you later." P.J. responded, walking down the steps to the driveway. Max waved at Pete before making his way to the sidewalk next to P.J..

XX

"Those guys will be late. I know it, Rox." Stacey said, cell phone to her ear.

Mocha sat nearby, timidly drinking her still-hot coffee.

"Max isn't really one to pass up lunch with some friends, as far as I know." Roxanne responded.

"Yeah, you're probably right. But, knowing Bobby, the bastard, he'll be here in 20 minutes. I don't have the patience," Stacey said, sipping water from her glass. She had broken up with Bobby Zimuruski back in Sophomore year of High School, only after only two months of going out together. They remained on good terms, but the smell of Cheese Whiz constantly on his breath got to be a little too much for her.

A little pause ensued between them, as Roxanne played with her car keys out of earshot. "You won't tell him I'll be there, right Stacey? I'm not sure whether I can trust you to keep the beans steady and 'un'-spilled."

"I'll be fine, Rox!" Stacey smiled. "I've been your friend for- what, 7 years now? You've gotta learn to trust someone like me with a secret."

"Uh-huh," Roxanne giggled, entering her car. "I'll be there in 10 minutes. Make sure Max and his "goons" are there beforehand, okay?"

Stacey looked out of the diners front windows. "I can only hope. See you then, girl."

"They'll be here. I can sense it." Mocha reassured Stacey. "P.J. always wants to see me. He couldn't and wouldn't bear being late." Mocha laughed, sipping her coffee once more.

Stacey set her phone down and rested her chin on her hand, looking out at the street, where cars drove past, and colors flew by, unaware that Bobby was working hard to get to P.J.'s as quickly as possible.

XX

"Did'ja call Bobby, Peej?" Max asked, leaning over the curb to look for Bobby's van. "I don't see him anywhere, and we have a tight schedule."

"I'm telling you, Max, he should be here any minute." P.J. responded, checking his watch, prepared to call Stacey, or Mocha, if Bobby was, in fact, late.

Soon, they heard honking that sounded familiar. "Here he comes." Max told P.J., looking to his left.

Max smiled as he saw Bobby, half out of the sunroof, calling to them. "Maximum, Peeejay!"

Both Max and P.J. waved at Bobby, laughing to themselves. Classic Bobby.

Bobby stopped at the curb, where Max and P.J. were standing. They looked at Bobby through the passenger seat window. "How's it hanging, Bobby?" said Max with a smile.

"Not too bad, Maxman, Peejy-Weejy." Bobby laughed with a slight hint of excitement.

"Hey, my name is P.J.! Why do you gotta call me that?" P.J. said, looking at Bobby.

"That's your name, isn't it?" Bobby asked, looking at P.J.. He adjusted his glasses, sunlight reflecting off of the glass. "I'd love to catch up now, but we have no time, fellas! We'd better book it to Tommy's. Get on in!"

"Shotgun, Peejy-" Max started, before feeling a slap on his shoulder. He rubbed his shoulder and laughed to himself, as he got in the passenger seat. P.J. got into the back, sitting in-between the two, so he could get a view of the road. You know, just in-case Bobby got distracted.

They immediately set off, on their way to Tommy's Cafe, where they hoped they could dodge a life sentence from Judge Stacey by arriving a few minutes early.

Bobby reached his head out of the sunroof, and yelled, "SOPHOMORES COMIN' THROUGH! CHECK IT OOOOOUUUUTTTT!" He began to howl, laughing frantically. It was easy to tell Bobby was equally as excited as Max going into Sophomore year.

As Bobby exclaimed what he felt the entire neighborhood needed to hear, Max spotted Goofy looking out of the front window, as the van passed the house. Max smiled and waved at Goofy through the van's open window, and Goofy did the same, smiling just as wide, possibly even wider. Max lowered his hand and yelled, "Bye, dad!", mixed in with Bobby's wild howls. Goofy just smiled and turned away from the window, and into the living room he went.

XX

"You think they're close... what was your name again?" Stacey asked, looking over to Mocha.

Mocha lowered the coffee cup from her mouth. She slowly looked over to Stacey, who was awaiting a response. "Mocha."

Mocha didn't bother answering the question, as she didn't really know how long they would be, but was prompted to when she spotted a red van park in front of the cafe's main window. She could see Max and his friends talking as they unbuckled their seatbelts, and get out of the van. "Speak of the devil..." she said, smiling a bit wider after seeing P.J. approaching the door, along with Max and Bobby.

A bell jingled above the door, signifying a new customer, as Max, Bobby and P.J. walked in. Bobby, having noticed Stacey just across a wave of tables and chairs, exclaimed, "Staceeeyy!", holding up finger-guns. He blasted her a few times, making gun sounds with his mouth. Stacey had smiled slightly, but looked away out of embarrassment.

The group walked over to sit with the two girls. Max and Bobby sat in chairs adjacent to each-other, as P.J. kissed Mocha on the cheek, before sitting on the other side of Max.

Mocha responded, "Nice to see you, Musset." before her's and P.J.'s lips locked together for a few seconds. Bobby had a fun time looking at them and chuckling to himself, while Max focused on getting info out of Stacey about Roxanne.

"So," Max asked Stacey, "How has Roxanne been this past year? Tell me everything."

Max looked at Stacey with a smile, head in hand, thinking about Roxanne. Stacey began to tell Max of Roxanne's Freshman year.

"She's doing fine! She actually really wishes she could talk to you in person about her life, but here we are. She found a good job in Buffalo, around campus. She's made some good friends along with me, and she's excelling in class grade-wise!"

Max, to say the least, was in a daze, stuck on Roxanne. "That's... goo-"

"Hey, Max."

Like the voice of an angel.

Max whipped his head around in every direction, before his eyes landed on her, to his left. Roxanne. Roxanne smiled timidly, holding her bag. She gave Max a little wave. All Max could do was stare.

"R-...Roxanne..." Max said, quietly.

Bobby, eyes now away from Mocha and P.J., looked behind him at Roxanne. "Oh shit, Max!"

Roxanne laughed at Bobby's comment and walked towards Max, as he continued to look into her eyes.

"Roxanne, I haven't... where did yo-"

Roxanne leaned forward and interrupted Max with a kiss on the cheek. A warm kiss. Something Max hadn't felt from Roxanne's lips since Graduation Day back at the end of his Senior year in High School. "I transferred. One of my Professor's was caught sexually harassing one of my classmates at the end of the year last year, and there were no other Professors who taught Botany."

Max just smiled. All eyes were on Roxanne; even P.J.'s and Mocha's, who had ended their kissing sesh.

Max stood up and hugged her tight. This continued for a few seconds, as they both teetered on the floor for a bit. Roxanne added, "Your grip hasn't changed, Max, haha..."

Max began to laugh a bit too. "It's good to see you."

"It's always good to see you, in person, Max Goof." Roxanne said, letting go of Max.

They looked at each-other, before Max asked with a huge smile, his cheeks pink, "Have you toured the campus yet?"

"Not just yet. Maybe you can show me around my first day?" she asked, smiling just as wide.

"YES! I- I mean, yes!" Max accidentally yelled. "I can't believe you're back."

"Me neither, Max." Roxanne said, in her own, cute way.

Everyone, including Bobby, Stacey, P.J. Mocha, and Max was smiling at the sight of her. No one could have believed it, except Stacey, of course. She had planned it.

"You're so..." Max started, slightly raising himself from his seat.

He did himself the honor, and got up. He leaned forward quickly, and without notice, kissed Roxanne softly, wrapping his arms around her waist.

All anyone could do was watch.


	3. 3 - After Lunch / Into Dinner

**(A/N [4/20/19]: Chapter 3! Gonna chill out with the Author's Notes from now on in between chapters and let you enjoy the story.)**

"Hey, me and Stacey were thinking about heading back to her place. We can catch up later tonight, if that's okay?"

They were standing just outside of the cafe, finished with lunch.

"Oh, uh, sure! Of course! Uh... how long will you be?" Max asked, looking at her with a hint of red in his cheeks.

Roxanne giggled. "You sure are excited to see me..." She stepped forward and softly kissed Max on the cheek. "Tonight. I'll call you."

"Y-yeah..." stuttered Max, feeling as romantic as he was back as a 9th grader.

Bobby wolf-whistled from the drivers seat window. "Alright, love-birds. We don't have all day!"

Max acknowledged him, "Gotcha, Bobby," before kissing Roxanne. His lips held their position for a few seconds, or, to Max, an eternity. "Goodbye, for now."

Roxanne turned completely red, and waved giddily, giggling to herself, as she walked back to her car. Before she closed her car door, she called, "Bye, Max!" Max just smiled, as he walked towards Bobby's car. Stacey had already taken off, eager to talk to her family. She had transferred as well, because, well, she barely left Roxanne's side.

Max closed the car door and they were off. Mocha sat in the back with Max, with P.J. and Bobby up front. Max slumped his head back, a wide smile plastered on his face.

Bobby looked at Max through the rear-view mirror, his glasses partly down under his eyes, "The Empress is back in town, Max..."

Max just laughed. P.J. added in a laugh or two.

P.J. looked behind his seat, into Mocha's eyes, "How did you like lunch, sweetstuff?"

Max, having not noticed Mocha before, was surprised to see her leaning against the car door when he looked to his right.

"It was wonderful, baby," she replied, leaning forward to peck P.J. on the lips. She leaned back afterwards. "Thanks for taking me."

Max decided to ask her a question, "Don't you have a car?"

Mocha turned her head and looked at Max with an eyebrow raised for a few seconds. "No."

Max nodded, "Oh." He turned his head and went to staring out of the window.

P.J. looked over to Max and punched his leg lightly. "That was a bit unexpected, huh? I thought she had gotten over you."

"I suppose not," Max replied, still staring at people walking on the sidewalk, sure of their destination. "It's really nice to have her back, though."

"Tell me about it," quipped Bobby, "I think I like Stacey again."

"Nuh-uh," P.J. said, surprised. He was looking at P.J..

"Sounds like you need a new groove, emperor," Max responded wittily, "Didn't she say she didn't like you?"

Bobby sighed as he turned a corner. "Yeah. Over some dumbass Cheeze Whiz."

Both Max and P.J.. laughed out loud, Mocha completely out of their conversation.

They both continued to laugh as they sailed towards Mocha's apartment so they could drop her off.

XX

Goofy checked the grandfather clock sitting up against the wall next to the fireplace. "5 PM already?! Shucks, I don't think Maxie's gonna be home for a while..." Goofy said, with a hint of worry in his voice. He turned his head over to Sylvia, who was reading a magazine on a sofa right next to him, "Do you think Max is in trouble, honey?"

"I think he's doing fine. Probably at one of his friends houses, hanging out or something. He'll be back for too long." she said, flipping the page.

Goofy just slumped in his chair, looking at the wall. Truth was, Max was at one of his friends houses. Mocha's apartment, to be exact, just watching television, and hanging out.

XX

"Thanks for not telling him before hand, Stace," Roxanne said, fixing up her hair. She was back at Stacey's house, in her room, where they talked and talked. "I wanted to surprise him, and, well, he was surprised." Roxanne smiled to herself.

"It's no problem, Rox! I told you I could keep a secret," Stacey said, who was in her bathroom, brushing her brace-less teeth. "What time do we have to get up tomorrow again, for school?"

"Something like- ow..." Roxanne responded, combing out a knot in her hair. "7:30, I think. I still don't know the school, and Max is taking me on that tour. I'll have to tell him to set an alarm."

Stacey giggled to herself, "I'm sure he'll be delighted about waking up that early..." She recalled the countless times Max was late back in High School because he hated getting up at such an ungodly hour.

"I'm sure he will be too!" Roxanne joked, setting down the brush and examining her hair. "I really like the way he is, Stace. He reminds me a whole lot of his 9th grade self, all flustered and head-over-heels. It's cute." Roxanne felt her face get a little hot.

"You go, girl!" Stacey replied, fist-pumping the air with her toothbrush-free hand. "I'm glad you two are back together."

"Yeah..." Roxanne said, gazing into the mirror, thinking about Max. "... I'm thinking about meeting him later tonight, how's that sound?" She turned around to look at a portion of Stacey, as she was marginally covered by the door frame.

"That sounds good," said Stacey, taking the toothbrush out of her mouth. "Just not too late, okay? I'd at least want to walk to school together. I don't want to you to be stumbling all over tomorrow morning, acting like a zombie because you didn't sleep well." She cleaned the brush with water and tapped in against the sink a few times, placing it back into the cup on the counter. Stacey turned off the light and walked back into her room, a night-dress on.

Roxanne looked at her, puzzled. "Stacey, it's only 5:30, the suns not even down yet!" She laughed to herself, covering her hand with her mouth slightly. "Why do you have a nightgown on?"

Stacey crossed her arms, looking at Roxanne, "Who knows when I'll fall asleep?"

Roxanne brushed away her soft laughter. "Whatever, whatever."

Stacey sat on her bed and looked out of her window, onto the front yard. Roxanne added, "You haven't seen Bobby in while, huh? How was he?"

"Obnoxious," Stacey laughed. A slight smile appeared on her face. "He was well behaved enough, though, I suppose. He dropped the Cheeze Whiz, I think."

"That's good. That stuff is pretty unhealthy if you're like Bobby and eat it everyday."

"No kidding," Stacey added, now laying down, head in her hand. Roxanne took a deep breath and sat down next to Stacey on her bed.

"Hungry?" Stacey asked, looking up at Roxanne. "We have food downstairs."

"No, not right now," Roxanne replied, twiddling with Stacey's fluffy comforter. She, along with Stacey, gazed out onto the front yard.

XX

At Mocha's apartment, nothing special was happening. Mocha and P.J., of course, were all over each other on the sofa, giggling to themselves and kissing. 'Young love. I'm in the same boat.' thought Max, before he averted his attention to the TV once more.

Some cartoon was on. Max couldn't discern the details, but, to say the least, it had Bobby's attention. Even at 19, cartoons seemed to grab Bobby by the eyeballs and root him to the couch much like a child. But, who was Max to judge? Goofy would often have to pull him away from the TV several minutes after bedtime as a kid.

Max looked over at Bobby, in a separate chair, his head in his hand, to see if he could catch Bobby laugh at the characters goofy antics.

Bobby let out a slight chuckle, but went slack jawed after a few seconds. "Wow..." Bobby said, leaning forward, eyes on the screen.

Max chuckled and looked back at the TV, tapping the remote absentmindedly on his leg.

"P.J., baby, you make me crazy!" Mocha said romantically from the back of the room, before continued to kiss P.J., as she did. Max sighed lightly, thinking about Roxanne, and their 'date' later tonight. A smile drew itself across his face.

_A few hours later, back at the Goof residence..._

Max walked fast to the front door, periodically checking his watch. His dad told him to be back before dinner, but didn't tell him _when dinner would be made. _Great_._

He quickly waved back at P.J., who was approaching his own home. "See you tomorrow, Peej!"

P.J. responded from across the way, "Yep! Tomorrow, Max!"

Max rummaged around in his pockets for his house key, and finally, after a few seconds, found it. He took it out of his pocket and noticed no reflection of the sun on its surface, no shine. The sun had set. "I hope they haven't eaten yet..." Max groaned, locking the key into position within the doors lock, and turned it. He twisted the doorknob, and opened the door.

"Home!" Max yelled, pulling the key from the lock and closing the door. He turned the silver handle above the doorknob, which locked the door behind him. He kicked off his shoes, which landed neatly by the staircase.

"Just in time, Maxie!" Goofy yelled back, from the kitchen, "Spaghetti tonight!"

Max smiled as he walked through the living room, and into the kitchen. As he walked by the stove, he peered into two pots on the stove, one filled with still-dry spaghetti noodles in a body of water, and another filed to the brim with tomato sauce. Goofy stood above both, stirring the contents of each simultaneously. Max took in the aroma. "Smells great, dad!" He smiled as he patted his dad on the shoulder. Max continued to the table, where he sat across from Sylvia.

"So, how was your day, Max?" she asked with a polite smile on her face. She had her legs rested on another pulled-out chair. She was reading the same magazine from before, just deeper within the contents.

"It was great!" Max said, fixing his hair a bit. He began to grin and giggle between his teeth as he thought about his interaction with Roxanne in the cafe hours earlier. He tapped his foot on the ground subconsciously.

Sylvia noticed Max's anxiousness. She laughed and crossed her legs on the chair on the side of her. 'What has you so excited, Max?" She held down her magazine.

"Roxanne's b-... back in town...!" Max said, gazing at the wall.

Goofy turned around to face Max, with a surprised look on his face. "Roxanne? Well, I thought she had moved to Buffalo!" as Sylvia asked at the same time, "Who's Roxanne?"

"No, she's back. She's attending Ohio State now..." Max said, turned around to look at his father, a stupid smile across his face.

"Hmmm... Puppy love." Sylvia said, her question left unanswered. She went back to her magazine.

Goofy responded, facing the food now, "Well, isn't that a surprise! Are you two back together?"

Max rested his head down against his arms. Still dazed, he responded, "Yeah."

"Beautiful, ain't she, Max?" said Goofy, stirring the noodles more now, which were now soft.

"Very."

20 minutes later, dinner was done. Goofy walked over to the table and dropped the pot of sauce in the middle, which gave the table a light shake. He set the water-absent pot of noodles right next to it. Goofy hummed as he made himself, Max, and Sylvia a bowl of spaghetti. He spun the bowl across the table to Max, who rubbed his hands together, mind off of Roxanne for the time being. "Mmm, food!:" Max said, taking in the smell of the now-cooked spaghetti. "Thanks, dad!" Max immediately picked up his fork and twirled the noodles.

"It's my job, Maxie!" Goofy smiled, patting his sons shoulder, while simultaneously placing a bowl in front of Sylvia. Sylvia responded with a quick peck to Goofy's cheek, which Goofy, in turn, responded to with a light laugh, ending with a hushed "hyuck".

Goofy sat down with his own, and they all ate together.

Max looked over to Goofy and asked, 10 minutes into dinner, "Do you mind if I leave to go do something with Roxanne later tonight? We were gonna do something together."

Goofy sighed lightly, not really wanting his son out late a day before school started up. "How long will you be out?"

"Just a few hours." Max said, still looking at his dad, twiddling his fork around.

"Well..." Goofy said, scratching his head. "It's almost 8:45 now. If you're planning on going out, you'd better make it sooner rather than later."

"Okay!" Max said, going back to his food, eating faster than before.

"And-" Sylvia added. Max stopped eating, food in his mouth, and looked over at his stepmom. "I don't want you to be a struggle in the morning, okay hon? On the dot, I want you up for school. You might as well set an alarm. 8AM." Sylvia ended her comment with a smile, and went back to her food.

"Gotcha," Max responded, swallowing his mouthful of spaghetti. He took a sip of milk and went for a second helping. "Gotcha."


	4. 4 - Moonlight Over Spoonerville

For the few hours Max had to wait before his "date" with Roxanne, he laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, occasionally looking out of his window to see streetlights paving the avenue.

He slumped back farther into the mattress, and pulled his covers over himself partially. "Any minute, now," he said, tracing the edge where the walls met the ceiling. "she should be calling me."

It was hard for him to tell his brain to slow down. His brain was on overdrive, thinking about Roxanne, and school, and the next College X-Games. But, mainly Roxanne. He let out a quick sigh and turned his head to the digital clock sitting on his bedside table.

9:30 PM.

He turned his head towards the ceiling again. "Hopefully she can get here soon. If I leave any later my dad'll have my head before I'm down the stairs."

After a few minutes, Max closed his eyes. Before doing so, he told himself repeatedly NOT to fall asleep, because, he knew that if he didn't, he would fall asleep. And falling asleep tonight, possibly just minutes before a date arrived, would be bad.

Before long, he could feel his heart slow. He was going under. Max's dark room, the cool temperature, and the soft hum of his ceiling fan began to lull him to sleep, but, before he had time to wake himself up, someone did him the favor and honked their horn, which he felt was loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood.

Max jolted awake as the harsh sound blasted through his ears. Curse his open window.

"What the fuck was that...?" he thought, still processing what the sound was and where it came from.

He sat up and scooted himself right next to his window, placed conveniently right next to his bed. Squinty eyed, Max peered through the window, and with the help of the yellow light from the streetlamps, and the pale light from the moon, spotted, to his dismay, a red van parked right in front of his house. "God... dammit, Bobby," Max said, tearing his covers from his body. He quickly got up and scurried to the door in the pitch-dark, hitting his dresser with his arm on the way. He didn't know how to tell Bobby to go away from his window anyway, unless he yelled, which was sure to piss off their neighbors who were settled down for the night. He had to begrudgingly walk outside and convince Bobby to leave.

Max slowly pulled his door open and checked the hallway for Goofy or Sylvia. 'Both in bed,' he supposed, stepping out into the hallway.

Max didn't hesitate; he quickly walked down the stairs, careful to not let any squeak, and quickly put on his shoes, before opening the front door. He ran up to the passenger seat door and knocked on the window, his brows furrowed. He was a bit more than annoyed, considering Bobby could've woken up the entire town up and, inherently, because of the van's position, the Goof's would be to blame, and he didn't want to hear their nightgown-ed neighbors yelling at them from the yard.

The window slowly fell, and Bobby, living up to Max's expectation, was staring at him with a goofy smile.

"Maxayyy, my boy!" Bobby said, hushed, in spite of the van's abrasive horn. "Hey, man, sorry for waking you and your parents up, b-"

"Bobby," Max said, exasperated, "What the hell are you doing here? I have to meet with Roxanne, and I would be able to answer a call I've been expecting from her if I wasn't standing out here talking to you. What do you-"

Bobby stopped him by reaching his hand out of the window and placing his finger against Max's lips. "Shh, shh. No need to blow up, dude. Get in the back."

Max pushed away Bobby's finger and said, more annoyed than before, but with the same quietness in his voice, "Don't 'dude' me, dude. Why the fuck would I get in the back of your van?"

Bobby sighed, taking back his hand. He pushed his glasses just below his eyes, and looked at Max. He took a second before he spoke. "Just get in the back, dude. You'll see."

Max saw no point in arguing. Bobby was Bobby, after all.

He grumbled as he sidestepped to the back seat door and slid it open.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

Mocha, P.J., Stacey, and to his consternation, Roxanne, were all sitting next to each other, and were looking at Max with slight smiles as he opened the door.

Max was speechless. He didn't expect this. He expected a night alone with Roxanne, where they could catch up and have fun for a few hours before tomorrow, where everyone, including Max, would be busy for a little bit; studying, and all that.

But now, he had to prepare himself for a night out with his friends. Something that was far from thoughts 10 minutes ago.

"Hey Max!" Roxanne said gleefully, waving and smiling at him from the other side of his friends.

"...yeah," Max said, looking between Mocha, P.J. and Stacey, before his eyes, landed on Roxanne. "...Roxanne, I thought we were going to be alone. Together." He pointed between himself and Roxanne, who was partially covered from Max's vision by P.J.'s body.

"Oh, yeah!" Roxanne replied, "I thought tonight would be more fun with some friends. We can still catch up with each other, Max."

Everyone agreed, almost in unison.

Max looked a little dejected. "I... guess."

"Perfect!" Bobby interrupted, adjusting his rear-view mirror so he could eye everyone huddled in the backseat. He turned himself around so he could see Max. He looked to his right to see everyone, and he could tell they couldn't fit anyone else in the row. He turned back to Max. "Hey, man, there's no room in the backseat."

"No shit, Bobby," Max groaned, leaning his head against the door frame.

"I've got you covered, though! No worries. There's a few seats back even further."

"Great." Max said, a fake smile on his face.

Bobby misinterpreted the smile, and flashed a thumbs up, along with a toothy smile of his own. He then turned to Stacey, who was closest to Max. "Hey, Stace, you're probably gonna have to evacuate for a few, we need to move the seat forward so Max can get back there. Unless he wants to crawl over all of 'ya."

"I'd rather not," said Max, quietly. _'do anything at all.'_ he thought.

Stacey groaned and slightly slammed her feet down against the car's floor, but complied. pulled herself out of the car and stood away from Max.

Bobby looked over to Max. "Alright man, now what you want to do, is grab the lever on the side of the seat in-front of you, and pull it up, so you can push it forward."

Max looked up at Bobby with tired, annoyed eyes. He was sure he would be able to figure it out himself, but didn't say anything. He was nearing the edge with Bobby tonight.

He slowly pushed up the lever until something clicked, then pushed the seat forward before crawling behind the seat. He slumped into a seat near a window, and leaned his hand against his hand. He didn't want to talk to anybody, even Roxanne, at the moment. A night which was planned, a night that would bring Max and Roxanne officially back together, ruined. The presence of friends just stomped all over anything that would've made the night unique.

"Perfect!" Bobby slurred. He adjusted his glasses, pressing them up against his eyes. He waited for Stacey to push the seat back and get back in the car before asking, "Alright, guys! Where to first?"

"Man, I'm kinda hungry," P.J. said, rubbing his stomach. He looked over at Mocha, who was scrunched up next to him. "How about you, babe?"

"I suppose I'm a fair bit famished." she said in a slow way, wrapping her left arm around P.J.'s shoulder, looking up at him with a delicate smile.

"I had some chips an hour ago but I could go for some food," Stacey smiled toothily, looking at Bobby.

Bobby gave P.J., Mocha, and Stacey a smile, before looking over at Roxanne, who was seated right behind him. "How about you, Rox?"

Roxanne lit up. "I haven't eaten anything since breakfast! I'd love food, I'm starving."

Max sighed, disgruntled. Of course, he had to be the one who ate not even an hour before. Now he would be the one to be left out.

Bobby raised his glasses and looked over Roxanne's head at Max, in the very back. "Hey hey, Max, look alive! You hungry, man?"

"No." Max almost whispered, watching a leaf drift across the sidewalk just outside the window.

"What was that, dude? I couldn't hear you, from so far away!" Bobby laughed, tilting his right ear in the direction of Max.

Max turned his head towards Bobby, and in a much louder tone, said, "Man, I said I'm not hungry!" He growled and went back to looking out of the window. He could feel Roxanne's eyes on him, but didn't bother to turn to look at her. Roxanne gave up, and, with a slight frown, turned to face the front, looking at the carpet on the car's floor.

Bobby sighed, sensing the disgruntlement in Max's voice, and turned back to look at the road. He turned the keys and set off down the road. "Whatever, man."

The car ride was filled with talking and laughter, from Mocha, P.J., Stacey, Roxanne, and Bobby, who would often turn away from looking at the road to his friends in the back, which worried P.J. a bit. Max just stayed out of it. He sensed that he wouldn't participate at all tonight. All he did was look from the confines of the van, watching streetlamps pass, a stray car or two passing periodically. All the way to The Smokestack, a bar-and-grill situated alongside other restaurants and shops- one of the hottest spots in town. It was almost guaranteed to be packed on a Saturday night.

XX

"Do you even know how to parallel park, Bobby?"

"Yeah, sure, Stacey..." said Bobby with the tiniest bit of confidence in his voice.

All anyone could do was sit and wait while Bobby tried to slide in-between two small cars directly across the street from The Smokestack.

P.J. groaned as he placed his head against the back of his seat, before looking forward again. "Bobby, we're not gonna be able to find a seat if you keep this goin'. Just find a parking lot or something."

Bobby replied quickly, "No worries, man, no worries. I've got this. The nearest lot is like 2 miles away. This spot is convenient, you know?" Bobby continued to twist the wheel as he looked back and forth down the street.

He slowly made progress, and soon, after 3 minutes of sidling, was situated between the two compact cars.

"We are in, baby!" Bobby exclaimed, unbuckling his seatbelt and taking the keys from the keyhole.

Everyone else did so as well. "Good luck trying to get it out of this spot, Robert, because I'm not doing it." Stacey said, letting her seatbelt hit the van's interior.

"You don't even know how to drive, man." Bobby retorted, opening his door.

"I know!" Stacey giggled, stepping out onto the sidewalk.

Everyone got out, except Max, who was looking down at his lap. Roxanne, about to close the door behind her, noticed Max slouched over in the back.

"Hey, Max. Aren't you going to come in?" she asked sweetly, trying to meet his eyes.

Max looked up and gave her a smile. Any attention from her was good, no matter the situation. "O-oh... uh, yeah."

Max quickly crawled over the middle seat, but had no support from the front, and fell on his front. He groaned, and raised himself up. Roxanne giggled. "You goof. Here, take my hand." She reached out for Max's hand, and felt her face get warm as Max smiled up at her, and took her hand. He held her hand until he was out of the car. Max slid the door closed behind him, and looked down at Roxanne. He leaned forward and gave her a gentle hug. He felt himself get warm as he brought her into his arms for just a few seconds, before letting her go.

Roxanne paused for a few moments, long enough to make the situation a tiny bit awkward. Max felt his smile grow wider as he continued to look down at Roxanne. Roxanne finally decided to break the silence.

"You smell nice," she finally said.

Max couldn't help but laugh at Roxanne's comment. "I could say the same to you, beautiful."

Roxanne laughed back, in a warm, hushed way. She felt her cheeks get hotter as Max planted a kiss on her forehead.

They stayed quiet, gawking at each other, both of their cheeks red, before Roxanne spoke up, "We should probably get inside. They're probably wondering where we are."

Max nodded in agreement. They locked hands, and walked up onto the sidewalk before heading through the door into The Smokestack, just behind the rest of the group.

After waiting through a line and being directed to a table, their waitress let the group look through the menu and walked off, the sound of her high heels clicking on the floor in the presence of loud talking in the background.

Everyone flipped open their menu as soon as their waitress let them be, and began to make their decision on drinks. Even Max opened the menu, happy to be with Roxanne after their encounter 5 minutes ago.

Bobby was stuck on the page featuring alcohol. Bobby grinned mischievously as he read the contents between the two pages filled with all sorts of liquor. He looked up to face everyone. They were sat in a circular booth, with Bobby and Stacey at the ends of each side, P.J. and Mocha positioned next to Bobby, and Max with Roxanne next to Stacey.

"Hey, guys," Bobby asked, looking between everyone, "You think I'll be able to get some alcohol if I woo the waitress?"

P.J. didn't take too long to respond. "No way, man. You look a little young. I think they card everyone here, too, so even if you looked older, it wouldn't work."

Stacey agreed. "Yeah, that was a bit stupid, Robert." she said, looking through the menus pasta selection.

Everyone else seemed to agree with Stacey and P.J..

Bobby looked disappointed, and looked out of the booth at other people enjoying their food. "Whatever, you guys. I'll find a way."

Max flipped through the last few pages before closing the menu and pushing it away from him. "I think I'll just have a water," he said, specifically to Roxanne, despite looking at everyone else. He leaned into Roxanne, who was still sifting through the menu. "What are you getting?"

Roxanne leaned her head up against Max's right shoulder. "I think I'll just get an iced tea, or something."

"Okay," Max said, running his fingers through her hair.

Roxanne laughed at the reply's simplicity, and looked over at P.J. and Mocha, who were finishing up their decision.

"I think I'll just get a coffee. These drinks are too cold," said Mocha, warmly. "Something to soothe the soul."

P.J. chuckled at his girlfriends complex nature, and replied, "A Coke for me, honey."

'Landing on water," Stacey spouted, closing the menu. She looked at Bobby, who was anxiously awaiting the waitress. She could see him look up and down the aisle with a raised eyebrow.

"Robert." she said, trying to get Bobby's attention. He didn't respond.

"_Robert._" she said, a bit louder now.

Bobby eventually tilted his head around to face Stacey. He lowered his glasses. "Yeah?"

"Don't tell me you're actually going to try and order beer."

"Don't worry about it, man." Bobby said, drifting off a bit before he finished.

Stacey furrowed her eyebrows a bit, skeptical of Bobby's vague response.

Eventually, the waitress came around, and began to take their orders.

"You?" the waitress sweetly asked Stacey.

"A water," she said, placing emphasis on the word 'water'. She looked to Bobby who mimicked a 'shoo'ing motion, before she sighed and looked back at the waiter with a bright smile, "is fine for me."

The waiter advanced to Max, who she eyed intently.

Max smiled up at the waitress, patting Roxanne softly on the shoulder. "Water, please." He was most definitely in a much happier mood. As long as he got to spend time with Roxanne, he found, he was okay.

Roxanne leaned farther into Max as the waitress looked at her. "Iced tea. No sugar, lots of ice, please." she responded, looking up at the waiter.

The waitress scribbled down their orders on her pad of paper before moving to Mocha.

"Coffee. As black as it gets, please. No cream, no milk, no sugar. Nothing." she said, staring at the waiter with no smile on her face. She meant well.

The waitress looked confused at Mocha's response at first, but got it soon enough, and recorded it. She moved to the heavyset P.J., who replied with a quick "Coke".

Finally, the "moment of truth". Everyone stared at Bobby with an eye of suspicion as he opened his mouth.

"Alright, miss, I would like a..." he started, flipping to the page featuring the bar's finest alcohol. It took a few seconds, but he finally said, "A pint of... Buh-loooo Moooooon."

Stacey covered her face and Max stifled a laugh. Both, at his flamboyance, and his attempt to order alcohol at one of the hottest restaurants in town as a 19-year-old Sophomore in College.

Bobby continued to gaze up at the waitress, chin propped up on his hand. He had a dumb, wide smile on his face, in an attempt to convince the waitress, somehow.

The waitress just stared at Bobby, before cracking a smile. She turned her head to look at her order page. "Sure."

"Great! You know I love me some alcohol," Bobby quipped, ending his sentence with a high pitched laugh. He pointed to the others. "These guys are underage, just by a little bit. They actually attend Ohio State, just like me."

The waitress then looked at Bobby skeptically. Bobby corrected himself, "I'm a senior, of course."

The others couldn't believe he was getting away with it. P.J. was just about to stop Bobby with a "wait-" before he was slapped in the mouth quickly by Bobby, quick enough so that the waitress wouldn't notice as she checked over their orders one more time. She took all of their menus, some of which, she had to pry out of their hands, because they were too busy gawking at Bobby.

The waitress grinned, and let them all be. She just turned around to walk away, and before she could get too far, Bobby called with his hand in the air, "Hey, maybe, when you come back, I can get your number!"

The waitress looked back and flashed Bobby a smile, along with a little wave, before stepping around the corner.

Bobby lowered his hand, and spat out a quick, confident, "Alright." He looked back at his friends, who were slackjawed at the fact that Bobby, a 19-year-old kid, just ordered a pint of beer without being carded or questioned at all.

"How the fuck did you do that...?" Max breathed, his arm around Roxanne.

"I could ask the same question, Robert," Stacey seethed, stunned at Bobby's stylishness. "You do know that your brain is still developing, right? Or did it stop 5 years ago?"

Bobby quickly hushed Stacey and eyed her from across the table. "Cool your jets, Miss Priss, I'm the one who just scored some beer here. You should think I'm cool."

Stacey just groaned, and hid her face from sight. Despite her longing for popularity, she was very iffy on doing things considered immoral or wrong for the hell of it.

Bobby cackled a bit, proud of his accomplishment, as the others went back to talking, forgetting about the situation entirely. That is, until the waitress came back.

**(A/N [4/21/19]: Hey, all! Last Author's Note for a while, I swear. I wanted to get to writing a bit earlier in the day, but had to deal with Easter festivities. But now, just 3 hours of writing later, here is the product. Almost 3,500 words. Wow. I hope you enjoyed- the 5th chapter will be coming tomorrow, where we delve deeper into the night. I'm sorry the story is advancing so slowly; I want to get through the exposition before things start picking up speed. Anyways, have a good one!)**


	5. 5 - Into The Smokestack

Bobby was quick to hear the waitresses heels click down the aisle. He leaned out of the booth, and smiled, as he saw her walking towards them with a large tray of drinks in her hand.

She stopped just before the table and began to pass around the drinks. Max took his water and set it down on the table in front of him, and grabbed Roxanne's iced tea, handing it to her afterwards. The waitress slid Mocha's coffee across the table towards her. Mocha stopped the mug in its tracks with her hand. Stacey took her water and took a sip, P.J. taking his Coke and setting it down on the table.

Bobby looked up at the glass of frothy beer on the tray above him and licked his lips. He'd never had alcohol before...

Max took a sip from his water as he looked up at the waitress, who was in the process of setting the pint of Blue Moon on the table in front of Bobby.

The glass hit the table with a nice clink, and Bobby observed as the froth almost overflew the top. Before he took a sip, the waitress stood back, about to leave. How could he have forgotten, Bobby though. he forgot to get her number. Of course, he could've gotten it any other time, but now was a greater time than ever.

"Hey, uh-" Bobby butted in, looking up at the waitress. "Can I get that number I asked for?" He had a wide smile on his face, something that made the girl smile.

"Sure," the waitress replied, walking back to their table. She stripped off a page from her notepad, and scribbled down her number and name quickly, before handing the piece of paper to Bobby.

"Sweet," Bobby said, looking down at the piece of paper. He read out her name, "Sarah. Pretty name, girl."

The waitress blushed, and smiled warmly down at Bobby. "You'll call me?" she asked coyly.

"Of course," Bobby responded, tucking her info into his pocket. "See you in a few minutes."

The waitress giggled to herself, before speaking to the rest of the group. "I'll be back for your orders. Enjoy." She smiled, before tucking her pen and notepad into her uniform. She turned away from the table and back down the carpeted aisle to serve somebody else.

Bobby's face was a light shade of red, everyone noticed, as he turned back to his friends.

'Score! Right, guys?" he asked, as confident as ever. He looked between everyone, waiting for a response.

P.J. took a quick drink of his soda, before being the first to respond, "Enjoy your pisswater, dude."

Everyone laughed at P.J.'s quip, taking drinks of their own.

Bobby slumped back against the booth's leather covering. "Whatever, man. You don't even know what beer tastes like."

"It tastes like piss, dude," P.J. responded, bumping Bobby's arm with his own. "Trust me."

Everybody went back to holding conversation.

Max looked over to Roxanne, who was still huddled up next to him. She periodically took sips of her drink. "Is it to your liking?" Max breathed, with a smile.

Roxanne lowered her cup, and looked up at Max with a warm grin. She nodded.

Max smiled even wider, enjoying every bit of time with her. He reached his head down and gently kissed her cheek, his entire face turning a bright shade of red. He lifted his head just ab it, and moved closer to her. "I don't know what it is, but I think I love you."

Roxanne couldn't help but giggle. And giggle, and giggle. She gently punched his shoulder, before, falling back into him.

P.J. offered Mocha a drink of his soda, but she respectfully decline, lifting her mug of coffee upwards so she could take a sip. She did so, and gingerly placed her cup down on the table. "But thank you, anyway, sweetie." she replied, with words this time. She looked up at P.J., who in return shared with her a warm smile of his own.

Stacey just stared at Bobby, saying nothing at all. But, just a few seconds after Bobby eyed the still-full glass of alcohol for what seemed like the 6th time, she spat, "You're not even gonna drink it, aren't you?" She leaned forward and rested her head in her hand, still eyeing Bobby.

"I will, I always follow through!" Bobby responded bitterly, pointing at Stacey across the distance. "... why are you on my case anyways? Do you want a drink of it or something?"

"No!" Stacey quickly replied, slamming her hand onto the tabletop, but not with a whole lot of force. She took offense to the question, it seemed. "That would be immoral and wrong, Robert, and you know it!"

"...Screw your opinion, Stacey. I'm a grown man! I can make my own decisions." Bobby grumbled, crossing his arms. He slouched back against the soft interior of the booth once again. His harsh tone disappeared from his voice completely.

Stacey didn't say anything, and instead, crossed her arms as well, sitting back against the booth. She looked away from Bobby, her nose raised.

After a few minutes of silence between the two, Bobby took the dive. He sat forward, and took the glass of Blue Moon into his hand. He tilted his head back, and took the largest amount of beer he could, letting it sail down his throat. His adam's apple bulged forward with each swallow, until the glass was half empty. He slammed the glass down on the table and crossed his arms once again, now facing away from the group. The thud of the group got everyone's attention. Max, Roxanne, P.J., Mocha, and even Stacey, who looked as if she had made a silent pledge to never look at Robert Zimuruski again, looked from the tall half-empty glass of acidic-looking beer to Bobby, and back again.

"He actually did it. He took the bite," Max said, just about speechless. On the inside, he knew Bobby's behavior would get even crazier if he were to continue, and order more. He didn't know whether to dread the concept, or accept it wholeheartedly. Bobby was at his funniest when he was off-the-wall wild, anyways.

P.J. knocked Bobby's elbow with his own. Bobby just pulled his arm closer to himself. "Man, why did you do that? Don't tell me you think you're 2 years older than you actually are." Bobby put no effort into responding, as he just looked down the aisle, looking as if the neat, clean carpet laid out on the narrow walkway was his worst enemy. Truth is, Bobby just wanted to prove to his friends that he was wilder than they thought, prove to them that he could do it.

After two or three minutes of eyes locked on the back of Bobby's head )or the side of his head, in Stacey's case, he turned around, and barked, "And you guys thought I wouldn't do it! Well, ha!"

They looked at him, confused at his behavior. They had never seen him disgruntled in a situation like this, where he had just scored alcohol, something that was restricted if you fell below the age of 21, something, frankly, that seemed right up Bobby's alley. Stacey didn't looked surprised at all, though. She looked quite expectant, actually, at Bobby's tone. She was the one who instigated it.

"Man, i just wanted to try some booze and all of you guys telling me not to do it really brought me down," Bobby said, quieter now, but at a volume where everyone could hear him clearly. He, again, after saying what he needed to, fell against the booth's interior, letting the leather encapsulate his back. He tilted his head down, as he twiddled his thumbs in his lap.

Max took the last bit of water from his cup into his mouth, before setting the glass down on the table. He reached over the tabletop, towards Bobby's glass. Roxanne, thinking Max was going to take a drink or two, reached out to stop his hand, but took her hand back after Max pushed the glass farther towards Bobby with the tips of his fingers. He then slumped back into his previous position, cuddled up next to Roxanne, before saying, 'You might as well finish it."

Roxanne pushed herself up against Max some more, before waiting for Bobby to make a move. Everyone did the same, expecting him to reach forward and chug the rest. But, slightly out-of-character, Bobby shook his head, and replied in a hushed tone, "Later. I'm going to the bathroom." He lifted himself out of his seat and looked around a bit, before trudging in the direction of the bathrooms. P.J. and Stacey, who could see the aisle leading to the conveniently marked bathroom doors, watched him walk for the Men's door, before he disappeared, out of sight. The two turned their heads back towards the group, both sighing in unison.

The waitress came around just a few seconds after Bobby became invisible, behind the bathroom door. "Hey, y'all, sorry for the wait. Had to cater to large family just across the restaurant." she said with a small grin.

The group looked up at the rather stout woman and gave her a nod of agreement. The waitress pulled her notepad, along with her pen, from a pouch in her uniform. "Anyways," she said, breathing a sigh of exasperation from the walk to their table, "What can I get you, miss?"

Stacey felt the waitresses eyes fall on her. Stacey racked her brain for a second before giving a response, "The Spaghetti, please," she replied politely, placing her hand over the other on the table.

The waitress smiled as she scribbled down Stacey's order on her pad of paper. She moved on to Max.

"Nothing for me, thanks," Max said, giving the waitress a warm smile. "Not hungry."

The waitress gave Max a smile of acknowledgment, before moving to Roxanne, who looked up at Max in surprise, before she realized it was her turn to order. Roxanne turned to the waitress, who had tried to get Roxanne's attention by clearing her throat.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I'll have the Grilled Chicken Salad. Thank you!" Roxanne quickly responded, flashing the girl a quick smile.

The waitress scribbled down the order, then moved to Mocha, who responded with a snappy "Chicken Parmesan, hot to the touch."

The waitress looked a bit puzzled as she moved her pen across the paper, but moved to P.J..

"Double Bacon Cheeseburger," said P.J., wiping a bit of soda from his chin with a napkin. "Thanks, ma'am." He grinned up at the waitress before setting the crumpled up napkin on the table.

"Of course," the waitress replied, scribbling his order as he spoke. Noticing that Bobby was absent, she asked the group, "Hey, your friend is gone. Where did he go?"

Stacey chose to be the first to respond. "Bathroom," she said dryly, taking quaint little sips of her water.

"Ah, okay," the waitress said in response to Stacey, clipping her pen to her pocket. "I'll get to him if he's back when I get your drinks filled up. I'll be back in just a moment!" She took everyone's empty glass, except for Stacey's, whose glass looked like it had barely been touched, and Bobby's whose glass was half-empty. She left the group alone.

Roxanne, who had just watched the waitress turn around, looked up at Max. "You're not ordering anything, Max?"

Max sighed in response. "Unfortunately, no. I had spaghetti with my family an hour or two ago." He had looked dejected, being left out, even though it wasn't too big of a deal.

"At least you ate, sweetstuff," said Roxanne, hugging Max close. "I thought you were going through some kind of depression, or something, not eating."

Max just shook his head, and leaned down to give Roxanne a kiss on her forehead. "No, just full."

Roxanne smiled as she felt his kiss, before asking, "You seemed a bit un-talkative on the way over here. Why's that?"

Max, hoping not to get into it, responded with, "I just expected to spend the night with you alone, hon. Not with four other friends."

"Awww..." Roxanne whispered, embracing Max. "I hope you're not mad at me, now... you seem happy."

"It's okay," Max replied. "I'm okay now. I'm having fun now, especially with you around." He hugged her back, placing his head upon hers.

Just across the aisle, the bathroom door opened, and Bobby stepped out, a happier expression on his face. He walked back tot he booth with a slight pep in his step. As a lightweight, the amount of alcohol he had consumed had gotten to him, or he just got over it. He slid into the booth with a Bobby-like grin on his face.

"Big man," P.J. laughed, punching Bobby in the arm jokingly. "Ready to finish it off?" He was at least glad to see Bobby happy. He had no idea why he wasn't just 10 minutes ago.

Bobby, without hesitation, took the half-empty glass of beer and took it all down at once, sliding the glass across the table in front of him. He let out a belch, and wiped the front from his upper lip. "Whoo!" Bobby howled, slapping the table. "I'm up for seconds!"

Stacey butted in before he had the chance to speak again. "Robert, i don't think that's such a goo-"

"Shh, shh, shhhh..." Bobby interrupted, reaching across the table to place his finger on her lips. "Shh."

The alcohol got to him. Somehow.

The waitress got to their table not too long after Bobby returned, and placed everyone's newly-refilled drinks in front of them. "Here.. you... go!" she said, reaching over the table to give everybody their drink. "Now, you. What would you like?" The waitresses bedroom eyes fell on Bobby. She gave him an especially warm smile.

"Sandwich," Bobby gawked, looking up at the waitress with wonder. Max slapped his hand against his face and stifled a laugh. Bobby was the one to get himself into his current situation, and there was nothing anyone else could do to pull him out now. "Also, more be-"

Stacey reached across the table and slapped Bobby on the wrist, which he responded to by slapping Stacey's wrist back. She pulled her arm away, and with resent, crossed her arms.

"Don't mind her, beautiful. I mean, maaaa'aaaam." Bobby said, feeling goofier than Goofy himself. "More beer, please."

The waitress scribbled down "refill Blue Moon" on her pad of paper, but asked Bobby about his first order, "You'll need to specify what kind of sandwich you'd like."

Bobby looked up at the waitress, a little puzzled. "Sandwi-"

P.J. covered Bobby's mouth. "A turkey club sandwich is fine for him, thank you."

The waitress giggled a bit as she scribbled down, "TC Sndwch".

Bobby released his hold on Bobby's mouth as the waitress took the tall, empty glass of beer, before walking off towards the kitchen.

"Man, what was that for? I didn't want to order that." Bobby said, tilting his head to look up at P.J.. His moves were a bit... exaggerated."

"You're actin' stupid, man. Let me handle your orders from now on," P.J. responded in a mother-to-son sort of way. Everyone laughed at P.J.'s and Bobby's interaction.

"Nah, man, I got it," Bobby said, tapping his fingers on the table. The beat he made with them was far from rhythmic.

"Yeah... sure," P.J. responded with a raised eyebrow. He lifted his full glass of Coke and took a sip.

Max took a sip from his drink and set it down. "Hey, guys, if Bobby's gonna keep ordering beers, I think I'll drive all of us back."

Everyone seemed to agree. "You have a driver's license?" P.J. asked, looking over at Max with surprise.

"Well, a permit!" Max replied, laughing a little bit at P.J.'s surprised look. "Remember? Back in High School, I took Driver's Ed but I couldn't put it to use. My dad doesn't have car anymore, you know, after that road trip 5 or so years ago."

P.J. just shrugged, and picked up his drink again. "Alright."

Bobby didn't give his own two cents, as he was focused on his tapping fingers.

Soon, dinner was served, to everyone but Max. Stacey's plate of Spaghetti was placed before her, and she eagerly picked up her fork. Roxanne's salad was slid across the table, stopping just in front of her, and P.J. took both his and Mocha's orders and placed them before both of them, respectively. Bobby, was forced to move his fingers from the table as a plate with a well-stacked turkey sandwich, with a dill pickle spear on the side, was set in front of him.

The group all said their 'thank you's' before the waitress left them off with a quick "Enjoy!" before turning around and walking away. Forks clanged against plates as the group, began to eat.

"Delicious, eh?" P.J. nudged Mocha, his mouth full.

Mocha gave him a warm reply, biting into her chicken. "Delicia."

Bobby took no time and chowed down immediately, his sandwich half-eaten just three minutes after the waitress took her leave. "Damn," Bobby mumbled, swallowing a large amount of food. "This is pretty... good... Right, Stacey?" He looked over at Stacey with a large, dumb smile. Stacey, caught twirling her spaghetti upon her fork, responded with a quick "Mhm," before averting her eyes somewhere else.

Max leaned backwards, allowing Roxanne to lean forward and eat over the table. After a few minutes into dinner, Max leaned forward. "Good stuff?" He asked, tilting her head towards Roxanne.

Roxanne met Max's gaze with a wide grin. "Good stuff." Bits of chicken were stuck around her mouth, which made Max chuckle a bit.

Max took his napkin and dabbed the sides of Roxanne's mouth. "A bit messy, aren't we?" he laughed, wrapping up his napkin and setting it down on the table.

"Haha," Roxanne giggled, swallowing the rest of her food. "Yeah, sorry."

"It's okay," Max replied with a small, warm smile. It seemed all he could do when he looked at Roxanne was smile. "Enjoy your food, don't eat too fast." He let Roxanne get back to eating, and continued to sip water from his cup.

Soon enough, everyone was finished. Bobby took the last drink from his pint before it was empty. He comically tipped his glass over to be met with nothing at all. "Man, I think I need some more—"

"No, you don't, Bobby." Max interrupted. "We don't want you passed out on the sidewalk covered in your own vomit after we get outside, now do we?" He looked at Bobby, trying, with hope, to convince Bobby not to order anything else. By the time the bill came around, P.J. had to take Bobby out to the lobby to keep him from attempting to order another beer from the waitress. Mocha had gone with the two, not wanting to be away from P.J.. Max opted to pay for the bill, against Roxanne's obligation.

"No, it's okay Max, I have the bill—" Roxanne said hurriedly, pulling out her purse.

"It's okay, Roxy, promise. Keep the money, I got it." Max interrupted, fetching his card from his wallet, and placing it inside the book that contained the bill.

Roxanne lowered her purse, and lightened up as the waitress took the bill and went away to process the payment.

The group got up and whisked on their jackets, and waited for the bill to come back. Roxanne hung onto Max's arm as he took his card from the waitress a few minutes later, when she came back. "A tip," he said, grabbing a 20 from his wallet. He held it out for the waitress to take. "Thank you."

The waitress smiled wide, "Thank you so much! You all have a great night."

Max, Roxanne, and Stacey all nodded and smiled as the waitress walked off. The group of three went for the lobby and met up with P.J., Mocha and Bobby.

"Got Bobby under control, Peej?" Max asked, his eyebrows raised, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, let's just get him out of here before he does something stupid," P.J. responding, hoisting Bobby up by his arm.

"Don't worry about it, guys, Bobby's still conscious!" Bobby slurred, fist pumping the air. They all laughed, and left The Smokestack, all ready to head back home; not so ready, at the same time, to arrive on campus tomorrow.


	6. 6 - A Late Night Drive

P.J. struggled with Bobby all the way to the car, who was giving his best attempt at pulling P.J. backwards towards the restaurant. "Man, I'm still thirsty!" he groaned, using all of his strength in an attempt to pull them both towards the main doors.

"You're tipsy enough," P.J. mumbled, sliding open the van doors and heaving him up onto the seat closest to the door. He quickly locked the door back into place before Bobby could get out.

Max walked Roxanne to the passenger side, gently, by the arm. He took the doors handle and swung it open, before letting go of Roxanne's arm. Roxanne lowered herself down into the passenger seat, and set her bag down on the car floor as Max shut the door. He walked around the front of the van; once on the other side, he swung open the drivers seat door and lowered his head, getting into the car. The door shut with an audible thud.

The others weren't slow to follow. P.J. motioned Mocha into the backseat before getting in himself, Stacey following behind. Everyone sat silent, as Max turned on the ignition, the van whirring to life within seconds.

Max took a deep breath, sitting back against the seat. He stared forward, looking at the row of cars in front of him, with a nervous look on his face.

Roxanne looked over at him, worried. She held onto his hand, which was sitting on the armrest between the two front seats. "Are you Okay, Max?" she asked, looking up at him with a worried expression.

Max held onto her hand in return just a few seconds later, before sighing again, gripping the wheel with his other hand. "Uhh, yeah. Just... nervous. A bit. I haven't driven in years." His sight shifted from the cars in front of him, to the street sitting outside of his window right next to him, then back again.

"You'll be okay, hon." Roxanne reassured Max, holding onto his hand in a gentle manner, making sure not to grip too hard.

"...you're right." Max finally replied, before slowly, but surely, turning the wheel and pressing down on the gas pedal for just a second at a time.

The group in the back seat squeezed together to look out of the windshield at the cars in front of them slowly slide to the right, out of sight, as Max slowly turned out of the tight space.

"You're almost there, Max," P.J. breathes, patting Max on the shoulder. Max responded with a quick nod.

Before too long, the front of the car was faced at an angle, towards the road. She felt a few pats on the back of his hand from Roxanne, as he pushed on the gas pedal and set off down the lane.

He flashed his eyes at the clock on the radio, which was conveniently illuminated for anyone to see.

11:03 PM.

Max let out a cough before saying, "Let's get you and Mocha home, huh, Peej?"

P.J. let out a hushed "Okay," before leaning back, letting Mocha fall into his side, her arms mostly wrapped around him. She seemed a bit tired, as she fell asleep just a few minutes later.

Stacey was stuck in a trance, staring out at the storefronts, most of which weren't illuminated at all. It was far past closing hours for many shops around Spoonerville.

Max clicked his tongue as he pulled up to the curb, right next to Mocha's apartment building.

"Mocha's stop," Max huffed, leaning back into his seat, in a relaxed position.

P.J. nodded, groaning as he sat up. "I'll bring her in. Wait here, just a moment."

P.J. nestled Mocha awake, who groggily followed him out of the car. Arm wrapped around her waist, P.J. walked her through the huge, ornate door at the front, the door swinging closed just behind them.

Max gazed at them all the way to the door, and averted them as the door closed. He let the stained cushion-y seat against his back encapsulate him, his hand held in Roxanne's grip, as he closed his eyes. The two in the back, on opposite sides of the car, slowly turned their heads to lock their separate lines of sight together.

* * *

Inside Mocha's homey apartment, P.J. walked her across the living room floor, to her bedroom, where he hoisted her into bed.

Mocha peered up at P.J. with half-closed eyes, a slight smile dragged across her face. "Good night, P.J."

P.J. smiled back, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on Mocha's cheek, before returning to his standing position. "Good night, honey. I'll see you tomorrow."

Instead of being with her for a few minutes longer, he left, not wanting to leave Max waiting. he made sure to turn the bedroom light off before he went.

* * *

Max opened his eyes as he heard the car door move aside, and close shut, all within a few seconds.

"Ready to go when you are, Max," P.J. voiced from the back, pulling his seatbelt down over himself.

"Gotcha," Max yawned, leaning forward, his hand moving the automatic transmission knob to 'drive', from 'park'. He placed his foot on the gas pedal and pushed, moving the van forward, and down the street. Max kept his eyes affixed to the road, as he muttered, "I'll drop you off next, Stacey."

Stacey sighed a quick "Alright", before going back to looking at nothing in particular.

Roxanne, who was sitting just across from Max, was currently half-asleep, staring out of the window adjacent to her. It was either the warmth protruding from Max's hand, or his presence alone, that made her drift off just a few minutes later. After hearing soft breathing from the next seat, Max looked over to see Roxanne leaned against the window, her hand encapsulated by his own, as it was before. Max let a wide smile trace its way across his face, before turning his head back to face the road, which paved Max's path elegantly, soft lights from tall, overhanging streetlamps shining his way through.

5 minutes later, the van came to a halt, just across the yard which led up to Stacey's home.

Stacey, before leaving her band of friends until tomorrow, looked over to Bobby, who was slouched up against the door. He had chosen not to speak to anyone on the ride home. "Hey, Bobby," she started, looking over at the dark silhouette that comprised Bobby. "Sorry for getting mad at you at that restaurant. You seem okay now."

It took Bobby a few seconds to realize Stacey was talking to him, but after the fact, he straightened himself out a bit against the seat. He gave Stacey, in return, a rather hushed response. "No issue."

Stacey, although faced with such a simple, menial response, flashed Bobby a quick grin, anyways.

Max turned his head around, and said, as Stacey unbuckled her seatbelt, "Nice seeing you today. Bye." He lifted his hand and gave her a small wave through the opening between his seat and the soft, gray interior of the van.

Stacey gave Max a fast toothy smile through the same opening, letting the seatbelt furl itself back up. She took the door handle and slid the heavy door open, stepping out onto the road. As she stepped around the rear of the car, she slammed the door shut, before, through the back window, Max could see her walk up the stone-laden path to the front door.

Max let out a deep breath, before advancing on to Roxanne's.

It didn't take too long to reach Roxanne's abode, considering she'd walk to and from Stacey's house all the time in High School.

Max skidded to a halt just beside the pavement. He shifted the gear to 'park', before turning himself around to look at Bobby, who was, once again, slouched up against the window. "Hey, man, you can take P.J. back home, then back to your house, or wherever you keep this," he yawned, scratching his head. He paused for a few seconds before continuing, "I'm gonna bring Roxanne inside and just walk home."

Bobby nodded slowly, before grabbing the door handle firmly. Max hopped out of the car as Bobby opened his door to let himself out.

Max walked around the hood of the car before reaching the passenger side door. He very slowly pulled it open, carefully, so that Roxanne wouldn't topple out of the van. Luckily, she had changed position as she slept, now backed up against the seat.

Max couldn't help but smile with affection, as he leaned forward and tapped Roxanne on the shoulder. Roxanne jostled around in her seat, before her eyes let themselves open. She grinned, looking at Max smiling down at her.

"I bet you're ready for bed, babe," Max hushed, before bending over to give Roxanne a warm, gentle kiss on her forehead. "Let's get you out of here. Want to stand?"

Max looked across the center console at Bobby, who was in the process of clumsily lifting himself into the drivers seat. He felt he had to be the parent in this situation, as P.J. was soft spoken most of the time. "Bobby," Max exclaimed from the sidewalk. "Be extra careful driving back. I'm serious."

Bobby reassured Max with a quick nod. His spoken reply sounded unnervingly sleepy. "No worries, Maxman. From a guy who had 2 pints of beer as 19-year-old, I can assure you that I can't make any promises."

Max eyed Bobby in an I'm-far-from-joking way. Bobby looked over just to laugh at Max's reaction. "I'm just kidding man."

"Yeah..." Max replied, still looking a bit nervous.

A yawn came from Roxanne, as she sat herself up. She looked between the two, then back at P.J., who had dozed off.

"Sleeping Beauty has awoken," Max gawked, looking at Roxanne in her eyes.

Pink tinted Roxanne's cheeks, as she turned towards Max once again, now gazing into his eyes.

Max felt his face get a little bit warmer. Not knowing how to speak in the moment, he sputtered, "Uh... wh-why don't we get inside?" He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Roxanne giggled, knowing well what made Max himself. "Sure. I'm kinda sleepy."

Max shed his nerves entirely, and held out his hand.

Roxanne leaned forward and took it, stepping down, out of the van. Max shut the door behind her. She stood next to Max, looking at Bobby from outside.

"See you lovers later," Bobby said with a lack of vitriol. It was late. "Gotta blast." Bobby let out a drowsy laugh.

Both Roxanne and Max gave Bobby a quick wave. "Tell P.J. we said 'Good night'! Drive safe, remember!" Max yelled after Bobby as the van rolled down the road and through the night.

As Bobby disappeared behind a corner, Max looked down at Roxanne. "Let's get inside, sweetstuff."

Roxanne leaned into Max, warming his heart, as they walked the lane to the house, the lamp hanging just above the door their only guide.

The door swung open, and Max, with Roxanne at his side, stepped into the living room, which held a silence only broken by the cold ticking coming from a grandfather clock in the corner.

Roxanne kicked off her shoes, and they landed at the foot of a large sofa sitting near the door.

Max tilted his head downwards, giving Roxanne a quick peck on the lips, bringing her into a complete embrace, his arms wrapped around her waist. He held her for a few seconds, before letting her go. "Need me to put you to bed or something?" he joked, looking down at her, his face in close proximity to her own.

"No, I'm okay. Thank you, so much, Max, for being here for me after such a long time," Roxanne whispered, placing her head against his chest.

Max held onto her. "The wait was worth it; I'm here with you now."

Suddenly, memories of High School came rushing back to Roxanne. Max, playing the part of Powerline in a surprise concert before old, boring Principal Mazur had the time to attest. A memory stuck in the back of her mind, brought to the very front. In that moment, Roxanne knew that Max Goof- scrawny, introverted, goofy Max Goof- was the one who she would spend the rest of her life with, if given the chance. A month or so after the last day of Freshman year, that dream had been affirmed by a quick peck from him, and now- at 11:45, the middle of the night- all that mattered was the fact that Max was with her now, after a good, long 2 years.

"I want to be with you tonight, I—," Max admitted, "...I want to stay."

Max felt Roxanne's grip tighten around him, before she let go. Max looked at her, not sure if she was comfortable with him doing so.

She reached her hand out towards him. "Come."

Max, without hesitation, took it into his own, and walked with Roxanne to her room.

Her bedroom door swung open, and before Max could do anything in particular, he was sitting on her bed, as she left him to change in another room.

A minute or so later, Max, who was now laying down on the far side of the bed, his arm propping his head up, saw Roxanne approach the bed with pajamas— a t-shirt and a pair of light grey sweatpants.

She crawled into bed, and beckoned Max further into the middle. He scooted over, getting closer in proximity to Roxanne. His shoes sat at the foot of his bed, along with his jeans. He was currently fitted in his salmon-pink shirt and a baggy pair of boxers.

Roxanne pushed herself into Max, her body providing warmth for him, and vice verse. Subconsciously compelled to hold Roxanne close, Max did just that, cuddling up next to her, his arms wrapped gently around her body.

Roxanne, with her left hand, pulled the covers from the end of the bed up up and over them. She placed her head against Max's chest, which held his beating heart, which Roxanne felt was warm enough to brave Siberian winter. All because of her, she thought. Roxanne felt a grin fall upon her face, as she looked up at Max, peering into his eyes.

Illuminated by the moonlight, Max saw Roxanne's face clearly, clearer than before. He pushed back a chestnut red colored bang away from her face, and behind her ear, now noticing tears well in her beautiful eyes. Tears of joy, considering the wide smile present on her face that perfectly reflected her feelings in that moment. Not thinking of how he would explain himself being absent from his bed to his father and stepmother when the morning came around, he gently wiped the tears from her eyes. Clearly and comprehensively, he spoke quietly, "I love you, Roxanne."

Roxanne, not being able to help herself tear up again, encapsulated by a strong feeling of joy, buried her face in Max's chest again. "I love you too, Max."

Nobody had made her feel more affectionate and special in her entire life, and he wasn't just a memory anymore. He was tangible, someone that still cared deeply about her; something that surprised Roxane, in all honesty. She had been thinking, for the longest time, Max had moved on; locked up memories of her from high school all the while throwing away the key. But, she was proven wrong.

And Max, who had lost contact with the girl he loved— his high school sweetheart, his one and only for two years on end— hadn't forgotten.


End file.
